speed in space

Well, we've got a coaching vacancy. Due to Matt Weiss getting axed due to Computer Crimes, Michigan has an assistant opening. We spent a bunch of time talking about it on WTKA this morning, and we mainly discussed two scenarios:

• Promoting Kirk Campbell to QB coach, which is probably JJ McCarthy's preferred outcome.
• Moving Jay Harbaugh to QB coach, hiring someone else, and having Harbaugh re-assert himself as a QB whisperer.

Possibly relevant to this: Chris Partridge got cut loose by Ole Miss and is now looking for a job. He was a co-DC at Ole Miss and may have gotten out over his skis a little bit in that job. Ole Miss's D was just 50th in SP+ this year. With Jesse Minter around, he won't have a DC title if he does return to Michigan. If he's fine with that, though, he was an ace recruiter and an ace recruiter would help out considerably after a down class.

Also he might be an in with Davison Igbinosun, who was a freshman All-American CB for Ole Miss with 10 starts to his name. He hit the portal more or less as the same time as Partridge got axed, so you have to think that grabbing Partridge would bring him along. A 6'2" CB ranked #162 in the composite last year with a year of starting under his belt would be an excellent pickup. That's not a reason to hire a coach by itself, but since Partridge has a lot of experience with Michigan already and had a successful first stint… it might be a reason to make a somewhat awkward position coaching switch if the elder Harbaugh can backfill at QB coach.

[After THE JUMP: sign and fire]

9/17/2022 – Michigan 59, UConn 0 – 3-0

After the opener someone complained in the comments that this bit above the fold was a utilitarian bit of text that didn't tell anyone how to feel. This is a completely fair criticism and also the work of an utter lunatic. It puts the emotional prose on the internet or it gets the hose again, sort of thing.

I don't know what emotion to communicate here in the aftermath of a third straight beatdown of Baby Seal U. It was generally pleasant to be out and about in the stadium on a not-too-hot day, watching helpless oompa-loompas grasp fruitlessly at our valiant warrior-poets. All conclusions, thoughts, feelings, and idle thoughts are polluted by the quality of opposition, with a few limited exceptions. It was… fine. Any attempt at a grand conclusion is a stretch.

But, lo: it is demanded. So I will stretch.

--------------------------------------------

If there's anything to take from this game going forward it's that we might be on the verge of Denard, But Also Brady. Michigan dumped more wide receiver screens on UConn than they did for the entirety of the Josh Gattis "speed in space" era if you ignore that one Penn State game, and one in particular jumped out. It this one from just before the half:

I have to assume this is a bust since there's no reaction from the boundary corner when Bell goes in motion and then the LB to the field just tears at the QB. But!

I've seen this mania before. That is eight guys in the box or environs, two guys worried about the quarterback, and acres of open space where the ball is actually going. We saw it when Denard Robinson was at full power.

Denard-esque quarterbacks had a moment induced by the introduction of the zone read in college football but have receded to the background as defenses adjusted. These days you need to have both halves if you're going to make it work, and if you have to sacrifice one it's the legs. Very few quarterbacks have enough of both to see real defenses set themselves on fire like this. One of them happens to play for the Baltimore Ravens, where Matt Weiss came from. Another one hung out with Jim Harbaugh at Stanford.

I am heartened to see the easy yards taken, and the easy yards become easier because the opposition is overreacting to something else you put on tape. Michigan is iterating, and it puts something else to deal with on the opposition's platter weekly. I already pushed all my chips in last week about JJ McCarthy being another level of quarterback than any we've seen under Jim Harbaugh. This week I am pushing a smaller stack in on a different table about Michigan's ability to take advantage of the surfeit of weapons they've assembled. We approached a 50/50 split between run and pass on first down in this game, and as we go along here confidence in McCarthy should only grow.

Now, onto opponents who are at least flopping around as you try to whack them between the eyes.

AWARDS

Known Friends and Trusted Agents Of The Week

guess who's back [Patrick Barron]

you're the man now, dog

#1 Ronnie Bell. Eight targets, seven receptions, and the eighth was almost the catch of the year (decade?). In addition to that was a key component of Michigan's blizzard of WR screens. Is clearly the #1 receiver, which says something after a year layoff and re-emergence into a crowded WR room.

#2 JJ McCarthy. 15/18, 214 yards, one chunk run, opened up space for WR screens. Even grading on a UConn curve that's worthy of landing here.

#3 Kris Jenkins. Had one blowout suffered but racked up five tackles as a DT in limited snaps. Got off blocks and showed some explosion.

Honorable mention: Blake Corum did score five touchdowns, but almost all were one yard and this isn't fantasy football. This is KFaTAotW! AJ Henning had four catches and one notable punt return but coulda shoulda done better on his carry. Caden Kolesar took a punt off someone's foot. Junior Colson was everywhere on defense. Gemon Green had a PBU and was ruthless on opposition screens.

KFaTAotW Standings.

(points: #1: 8, #2: 5, #3: 3, HMs one each. Ties result in somewhat arbitrary assignments.)

13: JJ McCarthy (#1 Hawaii, #2 UConn)
11: Blake Corum (#2 CSU, #2 Hawaii, HM UConn)
10: Mazi Smith (#1 CSU, T3 Hawaii), Ronnie Bell (HM CSU, HM Hawaii, #1 UConn)
4: Junior Colson (#3 CSU, HM UConn)
3: Kris Jenkins (#3 UConn)
2: Mike Morris (T3 Hawaii), Kris Jenkins (T3 Hawaii), Roman Wilson (HM CSU, HM Hawaii)
1: Braiden McGregor (HM CSU), Eyabi Anoma (HM CSU), Derrick Moore (HM CSU), Jaylen Harrell (HM CSU), Rod Moore (HM CSU), Makari Paige (HM Hawaii), Rayshaun Benny (HM Hawaii), Mason Graham (HM Hawaii), Cornelius Johnson (HM Hawaii), Donovan Edwards (HM Hawaii), AJ Henning (HM UConn), Gemon Green (HM UConn), Caden Kolesar (HM UConn).

Who's Got It Better Than Us(?) Of The Week

AJ Henning goes Houdini.

It was coming. Now it is here. I think he's going to get another one this year.

Honorable mention: Various Blake Corum touchdowns. Caden Kolesar returns a punt to sender. McCarthy throws a rope to Luke Schoonmaker on the move.

?MARCUS HALL EPIC DOUBLE BIRD OF THE WEEK.

JJ McCarthy is tackled for loss on third and three, preventing Michigan from scoring touchdowns on all drives.

Honorable mention: Blizzard of TV timeouts at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Review does not overturn the Ronnie Bell non-catch on grounds of radness. Blocking goes AWOL on consecutive run plays.

FORMATION NOTES: Michigan didn't do anything particularly unusual. Everything was from the gun, and much of it featured two tight ends. This has Ben Mason as a wing TE:

I tried to file Mason as a RB because I think that's a better representation of what Michigan can do when he's on the field but I may have missed some snaps like this where he's lined up at TE.

Minnesota spent virtually the whole night in this 4-3 over, frequently with a standup end. Probably! This game featured extreme pore-o-vision and it was at times difficult to tell who was on the field.

SUBSTITUTION NOTES: Milton, then McNamara briefly, at QB. RB was a near-equal rotation between Corum, Haskins, Charbonnet, and Evans. There were a few snaps with two RBs and one wildcat snap.

At WR, another blender. Sainristil, Wilson, Bell, Johnson, and Jackson all got a significant number of snaps. AJ Henning and Jake McCurry made cameos. McCurry was mostly out there for the heavy package.

At TE/FB, All got a large majority of the snaps, probably 80%. Mason was in for ~50% of them; Schoonmaker and gussied-up OL Joel Honigford got maybe a dozen each. 6'8" beanpole walk-on Carter Selzer got in for a snap.

OL was Hayes/Filiaga/Vastardis/Stueber/Mayfield as expected. Zinter got a little time when Stueber got dinged; Barnhart got the last handful of snaps at LT. Second team OL appears to be Barnhart/Korican/Carpenter/Zinter/Jones.

[After THE JUMP: smoooooooth]